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New Zealand is an island country in the Southwest Pacific Ocean. New Zealand belongs to a large island group called Polynesia. The country is situated on two main islands- the North Island and the South Island.

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A notable feature of New Zealand's geography is the country's great number of rivers. The Waikato River in the North Island is New Zealand's longest river, measuring in at 425 km. New Zealand also has beautiful lakes; Lake Taupo is the largest and lakes Waikaremoana and Wanaka are two of the most beautiful. Lake Taupo Waikato River lake Wailkaremoana

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The New Zealand and Australian flags are very much alike. With the British flag in the top left-hand corner, the New Zealanders show the stars of the Southern Cross in red on a blue field.

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The first people who settled in New Zealand were brown- skinned people called Maoris. They came from Polynesian islands located northeast of New Zealand. First European settled in the island in the beginning of the 18 th century. Today most New Zealanders are descendants of the early European settlers. Maoris make up about 12 per cent of the population.

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About four fifths of New Zealands population live in urban areas. Traffic jams seldom occur, even in downtown areas. Large cities have excellent restaurant, theatres, concert halls. City life tends to be rather quiet. Near a fifth of people live in rural areas. People live in their houses with a small garden. Some of them live in isolation in farms and ranchers. Its have electricity.

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The greatest of the trees in New Zealand is the kauri. Kauris are tall, straight trees, and their wood is excellent for making boats and houses. Today you cannot cut down kauri trees, the few remaining are now protected by law. The tallest kauri in New Zealand is Tane Mahuta; it is fifty-two meters tall, and more than 1,200 years old.

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The most famous New Zealands bird is kiwi. It has become the countrys symbol. Its a small, tubby bird. Despite the fact that nighttime is when they are most active, they are still fairy lazy, sleeping for up to 20 hours a day

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New Zealand is also the home of the tuatara, one of the oldest types of animals in the world. They are about sixty centimeters long and have a third eye on the top of their heads; tuataras sleep during the winter, and they use their third eye to walk themselves up in spring. It is a lizard-like reptile dating back to the age of the dinosaurs. It may live over 100 years.